Splinter Cell: Blacklist’s E3 torture scene axed

Splinter Cell: Blacklist may still give players the option to coercively interrogate enemies should they choose, but it won’t contain the infamous torture scene showcased at E3 2012.

“Definitely we are not going to see when the game’s coming out that there are torture scenes in it. That scene is not there any more. I’ve not really heard anyone say they loved it,” producer Andrew Wilson told Eurogamer.

Wilson believes negative reaction to the scene may have been the result of contextual issues, and Ubisoft Toronto has taken steps to ensure its themes and material are appropriately communicated.

“In an unabridged snapshot, it seemed like pretty tough material,” he said.

“We’ve scaled a lot of that back, and as we’ve gone through the process of development there are always things that you feel are not working as well. Every game does this, and cuts certain things.”

The developer also reiterated director Patrick Redding’s comments that E3 is not the place to be subtle and show off stealth gameplay; trailers and demos released in the interim have been more in line with the franchise’s history.